


Land of the Free

by segerge



Series: TASK FORCE [30]
Category: HERO Champions
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 02:27:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6101710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/segerge/pseuds/segerge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Summer 1995) The contract competition to come up with America's next Golden Avenger is down to ProStar and Nichols Research.  How far will the Nichols Research team go to sabotage ProStar's efforts?</p><p>A placeholder for a partially-completed story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Land of the Free

**Author's Note:**

> ### Story Incomplete -- in progress
> 
>  **Warnings** : Language
> 
> #### DRAMATIS PERSONAE
> 
> **heroes**
> 
>   * Julie Dormyer Hawkins (AKA Ladyhawk), Chairman of the Board of Directors for ProStar, disgustingly-powerful ninja with latent powers of temporal visualization
>   * Dr. Bob Hawkins (AKA Starforce), Senior Research Scientist for ProStar, disgustingly-powerful power-armor wearer/gadgeteer
>   * BGEN Ted Jameson (AKA Ranger), Director of PRIMUS
>   * Daniel James 'DJ' Johnson, Major, USMC
> 

> 
> **villains**
> 
>   * Marcia Anders, CEO of Nichols Research Corporation
>   * Sergei Varinnikov, President-for-life, Republic of Central Asia
>   * Carl Madison, Chief Engineer for Project IRON EAGLE
>   * Geoffrey Haganstone (AKA Holocaust), wannabe mutant master villain
>   * David Sutherland, Jr (AKA Invictus), Roman-themed brick and energy projector
>   * Francois Rochemont, leader of UNTIL Special Operations Detachment (DFW)
> 

> 
> **other**
> 
>   * Ferris Drake IV, CEO of ProStar
>   * Ellen Macklin, squad leader for PRIMUS assigned to the DFW office
>   * Shina Arikawa, butler/chauffer/bodyguard for Julie (her 'Alfred')
>   * Peter Mackenzie, Director of North American Operations for UNTIL
> 

> 
> **AUTHOR'S NOTE 1** : Telepathy is denoted by (( )), internal monologue by [[ ]]
> 
> * * *

(PRIMUS HQ, Washington DC)

(Ferris Drake IV and Bob 'Starforce' Hawkins are walking up to the main entrance. It's a typical early summer day in DC, hot and humid)

 **Starforce** : "It'll be good to not be tailed by UNTIL for a change."

(beat, then Ferris looks behind them to the four atheletic men in dark sunglasses with earphones scattered roughly 30 feet behind them)

 **FD4** : "How do you put up with that all the time?"

 **Starforce** : "Poorly. I literally can't go to a convenience store without them following behind."

 **FD4** : "Isn't that illegal?"

 **Starforce** : "Not since the United States signed the Martinez Treaty and Doctor Destroyer dropped his little surprise on me after my wedding."

 **FD4** : "You can't get Ted to do something about it?"

 **Starforce** : "Julie's tried. Ted's hands are tied because the current adminstration REALLY wants America's involvement with UNTIL to work."

 **FD4** : "Could it actually be because of that lawsuit they tried a few years back?"

 **Starforce** (sighs): "Let's not go there. Not inside the Beltway, at least."

(they pass through the doors. As they get used to the air conditioning inside, they see a large posterboard avertising "NEXT GENERATION AVENGER INITIATIVE" with an arrow pointing off to the right)

 **Starforce** : "Where do we check in?"

 **FD4** : "Auditorium Lobby, if I remember correctly."

(a short, sharply-dressed, and curvy strawberry blonde woman walks up to Bob and latches onto his left arm)

 **Woman** : "I didn't expect to see YOU here!"

(awkward pause)

 **Starforce** (to the woman): "Excuse me, but do I know you?"

 **Woman** : "Oh, I'm *terribly* sorry! I mistook you for someone else!"

 **Starforce** (deadpan and annoyed): "There's only one other person I could be mistaken for."

 **Woman** : "I'm Marcia Anders. I'm with Nichols Research."

(Bob's eyebrows go up)

 **Starforce** (internal monologue): [[Nichols Research, huh?]] (verbally) "Bob Hawkins. I'm with ProStar."

 **Marcia** : "So you're here for the NextGen Initiative briefing?"

 **Starforce** : "Well, Ms. Anders, I'm certainly not here for the weather."

(the conversation trails off awkwardly)

 **Starforce** (continuing): "You can also let go of my arm now, if you don't mind."

 **Marcia** (laughing and letting go): "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me!"

 **Starforce** (deadpan): "I'm sure you didn't, ma'am."

 **Marcia** (walking off): "A pleasure meeting you, Dr. Hawkins!"

 **Starforce** : "Likewise."

(beat)

 **FD4** (falsetto): "Aaw-kwarrd!"

 **Starforce** : "A better question would be, 'Where was she in the past 24 hours that she met with Sergei Varinnikov?'"

 **FD4** : "Who?"

 **Starforce** : "A guy that Ted, Julie, and I once knew back when we were superheroes." (beat) "I thought he had quit the Army and was taking over a couple of the Stan's in central Asia..."

#####[ to be continued ]#####


End file.
